By Matthew Schwartz
“Walk into any pickleball facility in the country,” says an experienced and knowledgeable pickleball player, “and see how many positive comments about DUPR you get.”
He doesn’t think you will hear any.
I have heard players say, “I’m a 3.50 player and my DUPR is 2.70.” And, “I played in a tournament in the 3.5 division and there were 4.5 players in it, total sandbaggers.”
DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) has been pickleball’s primary rating system since 2021. It certainly has a lot of players who have no complaints about the system, who say, “Hey, you don’t like your rating, it’s up to you to improve. Stop whining.”
But, as The Eagles sang, “There’s a new kid in town.”
It’s called VAIR, which stands for “Visually Assessed International Rating.” VAIR’s supporters say the new system has better ways to provide more accurate ratings. More about VAIR later.
The players who complain about DUPR claim that the factors used to calculate their rating are flawed. A few of their complaints:
1) Rating drops after a win
Players say they see their rating go down despite winning a match. That happens because the algorithm calculates an “expected score.”
2) DUPR poaching or reverse sandbagging
Lower-rated players enter higher-level brackets-not to win, but to “steal” points. Players enter a division above their skill level knowing they will probably lose. But if they score a few points more than the expected blowout, their rating increases.
3) Rating Anxiety
High-rated players avoid playing with friends or in local tournaments because one bad game or loss to a lower-rated player can cause their score to go down.
4) Regional Inconsistencies
Because DUPR relies on connectivity (you are rated based on the people you play), ratings often become localized. A 4.0 in a small town might play like a 3.5 in a pickleball hub such as Florida or Arizona.
5) Score “decay”
Players complain that if they take a break or play only private games without logging them, their DUPR “decays.”
6) System manipulation
Players can "cherry-pick" which matches to report, leading to inflated ratings that don't reflect their actual DUPR.
DUPR officials have recognized some of the system’s shortcomings. Since March 16th (and ending on May 17th) DUPR has been offering players what it calls a “DUPR Reset.” They say it is a way for players to reassess their rating. “A structured performance review based entirely on your most recent match results,” is how DUPR officials describe it.
The RESET is optional and not free. It will cost participants $34.99.
A VAIR supporter told me, “DUPR is charging 35 dollars to fix something that’s broken.”
Critics of DUPR say the Reset is an admission that the current system isn’t working.
Another VAIR fan, who did not want to be identified, called DUPR’s Reset, “A money grab.”
“LOL haters are going to say whatever it takes,” responded DUPR CEO, Tito Machado, via email.
“Calling the Reset a “money grab” ignores the reality of what it takes to build and operate something like DUPR.
“We’ve invested millions into the pickleball ecosystem. That includes sponsoring events globally, building infrastructure, running college programs, supporting junior pathways and scholarships, and creating tools that players, clubs, and federations use every day. None of that is free to build or maintain.
“People are trying to use the Reset as proof of inaccuracy, when in reality it is almost the opposite,” Machado said. “The Reset does not say the rating is wrong. In many cases, players who go through the Reset may simply prove that their current DUPR is exactly where it should be.”
“What it does is give players a clean, structured way to prove where they are today. Some players feel they have improved. Some have not played much recently. Some have old data sitting in their profile that no longer reflects their current level. And some players have been hesitant to compete because they were worried about protecting their rating.”
VAIR’S founder and CEO is Mike Barker, a 62-year-old retired entrepreneur who lives near Saratoga, NY. Barker started up several businesses that went on to be successful and is confident that VAIR will be, as he calls it, “The most advanced pickleball rating system.”
“By focusing on player performance and skills rather than just game outcomes, we ensure accurate ratings and provide precise assessments,” Barker says. “Our approach offers insightful player analysis to help you enhance your game.
“You will be evaluated on 41 distinct game elements by a Certified Rater, along with insights from AI that will analyze your gameplay through comprehensive scorecards and video reviews. Additionally, you'll receive in-depth feedback highlighting areas for enhancement.”
Barker says VAIR’s Certified Raters will all be certified instructors. You can send a request to be rated in person or submit a video. More details on this and other aspects of how the VAIR system works are here.
“We’re really not concerned about VAIR,” DUPR boss Machado said. “Just to give you some perspective, DUPR has long term partnerships across the entire ecosystem, including PPA, MLP, APP, USAP, and the Global Pickleball Federation.
“We currently have over 2 million players in the system and more than 15 million recorded games. VAIR has fewer than 10,000 players and very limited data infrastructure in comparison. At the scale we operate, data quality, match volume, integrations, and ecosystem adoption matter. That’s what creates accuracy and trust in a rating system,” Machado said.
Machado concluded, “I genuinely wish them the best, but from our perspective it’s not really a competitive situation.”
Barker isn’t intimidated. He’s a tough, former semi-pro football player who has been successful in starting-up several businesses. He says VAIR is getting established in 19 countries and is adding new members every day. He’s ready for what will be an uphill battle to compete with a company that has a five-year head start.
One of VAIR’s advisors is Dr. Rommie Maxey, the co-owner of the National Pickleball League’s Houston Hammers and a guy with numerous pickleball connections.
Like Barker, Maxey is not used to failure. He’s a former US Open national champion, and a veteran instructor who runs a successful pickleball instruction company.
While the two pickleball ratings companies exchange niceties publicly, they really won’t have mercy for the other as each tries to get as many players and vendors as they can to sign-up.
Incidentally, the name of Maxey’s pickleball instruction company is, “No Mercy Pickleball.”
Thoughts of the week, not all pickleball
· No word yet on the cause of last Saturday’s plane crash that took the lives of five pickleball players headed to a tournament in Texas. They were beloved members of the Amarillo Pickleball Club. They were identified as Seren Wilson, 19; Brooke Skypala, 45; Stacy Hedrick, 51; Justin “Glen” Appling, 37; and Hayden Dillard, 39. Thoughts and prayers to their families, friends and the Amarillo Pickleball Club.
· Do you know any pickleball players in open play who, when the next four up go on the court, always chooses the better player to be his or her partner? I know a couple. If one of them chooses me as his/her partner and I think we will win 11-2, I tell him so and don’t play with him. I’d rather lose 11-9 than win in a rout.
· Nuremberg, currently streaming on Netflix, is a riveting look at the relationship between Nazi leader Herman Goring (a purposely bloated and brilliant Russell Crowe) and a US Army Psychiatrist (the always great Rami Malek). It’s two and a half hours long but worth it.
· The Netflix documentary on the late professional wrestler Terry Jean Bollea, better known as Hulk Hogan, runs four episodes but would have been better if there were two. There is too much time spent on Hogan going back and forth between the different wrestling federations. I interviewed Hogan several times during my TV career, in Madison Square Garden and in his home near Clearwater, Fl. The most noteworthy interview was the night before his son, Nick, then 17, turned himself in for crashing his car into a tree in Florida in 2007, leaving his passenger and friend, John Graziano, with severe, permanent brain damage. I interviewed the entire family in Hogan’s home. I had obtained video from a documentary that was shot a couple of years earlier of Hogan’s wife and Nick’s mother, Linda, drag racing while Nick watched. I was trying to show that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and maybe the mother condoned that behavior. In the documentary, Linda said she loved drag racing and, “dodging the cops.” She is behind the wheel while saying this and while young Nick watches. During our interview she denied ever drag racing or saying that, even though we had the video. Hulk, and his lawyer who was also there, were not happy with me.
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